Manchester City were handed a significant blow earlier this season.
Just 21 minutes into his first Premier League start of the season, Rodri was forced off the pitch in City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal as a result of a knee problem he picked up in the game.
It was then revealed by Pep Guardiola that Rodri had damaged his ACL and would be out of action for the rest of the season.
Following this news, reports have since emerged linking the Manchester club with January transfer moves for a new midfielder to replace the injured Spaniard.
In fact, Guardiola said that he had already spoken to Txiki Begiristain about signing a replacement for Rodri, although admitted that a decision would be made closer to when the window is set to open.
Now though, with the latest international break underway, one player who has found himself being linked with a January transfer move to the Etihad Stadium may have just damaged his chances of having City make a move for him.
- READ MORE: Who is Rodri? Get to know Man City’s modest midfield maestro who won a Champions League final
Man City transfer target failed to impress in latest club appearance
Earlier this month, Calciomercato reported that City were set to have scouts in place to watch Samuele Ricci feature in Sunday’s Serie A match between Torino and Inter Milan.
Prior to that, it was reported by The Guardian that Ricci had been identified by the Manchester club as a potential replacement for Rodri and someone they could look to sign in January.
With Ricci’s Torinio losing 3-2 to Inter on Saturday, the midfielder’s individual performance may not have filled the City scouts with too much excitement about him as a potential addition to Guardiola’s squad.
How did Ricci fare against Inter?
Starting his seventh league match of the campaign, the midfielder completed 84 minutes before being subbed off.
During his time on the pitch, Ricci had just 27 touches of the ball and could only complete nine of the 16 passes he attempted.
Even though he managed to have one shot on target, the midfielder failed to make even one tackle or interception for his side, although he did make three clearances and blocked one shot from Inter.
Having lost possession 11 times in total, the 23-year-old also made one error that led to Inter having a shot at Torino’s goal.
This display ultimately earned the reported City transfer target a rather uninspiring overall match rating of 6.3/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-third-lowest-rated Torino player on the day.
While City may not have come to a conclusion about whether to sign Ricci based on this performance alone, it wouldn’t have increased his chances of convincing the Manchester club to make a move for him.
